Getting lost in London is inevitable & Indians, along with Brazilians, are most likely to get “completely lost” abroad – suggests results from the Nokia Maps survey.The study was conducted among 12,500 people early in October 2008 in UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, China, UAE, Russia, Singapore, India, & South Africa. It gives a good idea of how people get lost and get found, excuses asking directions, and who we blame the most when we get lost.

Outcome from the survey.

1. Lost Cities

London is the most confusing city, with one in ten (10%) people finding it impossible to navigate around. Followed closely by Paris (9%), Bangkok (5%), Hong Kong (5%) and Beijing (4%), making up the top five ‘lost cities’ on the planet.

New Delhi is among the easiest cities across the globe for tourists to navigate around, with less than 1% singling it out as a confusing city.

2. A sense Of Direction

93% of the world get lost regularly. An average person wastes 13 minutes when lost.

Germany is the country with the world’s best sense of direction, with a third (34%) of people claiming to have never lost their way.

One in five (18%) people believe a sense of direction is genetic. One in ten (9%) Spaniards consider a sense of direction matures with age, like fine wine. In Hyderabad (India), nearly one in ten (8%), double the Indian average believe that a sense of direction was genetic.

One in ten (11%) people miss a job interview, an important business meeting or flight because they lost their way. One in ten (10%) people who live in Mumbai, Bengaluru & Pune (India) will miss a job interview.

Affecting people’s personal lives, one in ten (9%) Brazilians miss out on a date because they got lost en-route. Indian men are the most likely people in the world to miss the birth of their child (2%). The people of Pune missed a quarter of weddings (24%)

3. Laying The Blame

Almost one in two (49%) people of the world get lost when rushing or when they are in busy crowded spaces during commuter rush hour. Among the “confused” Indians - One in ten (10%) residents of Ahmedbad get lost on the way to catching a flight, train or bus to their holiday destination. Nearly a third of Hyderabad residents (31%) blamed being in rush for making them lost.

Nearly a third (30%) of people blame their partner for getting them lost.

A third (29%) of surveyed people admit to frequently losing their way when they are tired. A third (30%) of residents in Kolkata blame tiredness as the cause for getting lost. In South India, the residents in Chennai get lost the most when at home (11%).

The most popular excuse for getting lost by Asians is bad weather (24%).

4. Digital Navigation Overtakes Traditional Maps

One in ten (8%) people admit they can’t read a map. One in ten women (11%) are unable to read a traditional map, twice the number of men (5%).

More than a quarter (26%) of people surveyed rely on online and mobile navigation tools to find their way around. 13% of people use a mobile phone as their primary navigation tool.

Germany is the country with the highest reliance on satellite navigation (48%). Nearly a quarter (22%) of Italians rely on mobile navigation devices to find their way. One in five Indians are more likely to rely on a mobile satellite-navigation device to get them from A to B. Kanpur is the “most disorderly Indian city”. However, Kanpur residents were most reliant on technology, with nearly a third losing their way (30 %) without their navigation device

5. Keeping Up To Date With The Ever Changing Landscape

When approached by strangers asking for directions, many people use iconic landmarks (18%) such as statues, churches and bridges as recognizable ‘breadcrumbs’ to a destination.

People in Britain prefer to use local pubs to signpost directions to others (18%). The Chinese typically use skyscrapers to give directions (10%). Indians clearly love shopping as they are the top nation for using shops as a point of reference when giving directions (15%). In Bengaluru, India – people prefer to put faith in nature, as nearly one in ten (7%) guide themselves by the stars.

Over a third (38%) of the world rely on other people for directions to get from A to B. 31% of Indians like their Brazilian counterparts were the most likely nationalities around the world to get lost when abroad. People living in Mumbai are the “most stubborn” in India, with one in ten (10%) never asking directions from a stranger.

Almost one in two people (43%) admit to giving the wrong directions on purpose. One in three Londoners admit to deliberately giving people the wrong directions. Indians are the most trusting when giving directions, with less than a quarter (23%) admitting to deliberately sending strangers the wrong way.

Russians have an alternative motive when it comes to asking for directions, with one in ten (9%) using it as an excuse to flirt. In India , Pune emerged as the “flirtiest city in India”, with 16% asking for directions as a chat up line. One in ten (8%) residents in Pune bizarrely believe that a sense of direction is due to the magnetic pull of the earth.

Surat has turned out to be the “most organised Indian city,” with over a quarter (26%) of residents meticulously planning their route before heading out. Over a third (39%) of shopaholic residents in Surat use shops to signpost directions to others.